ALDS: Rays/Red Sox

[joncarlos]

Familiarity breeds contempt, I guess.

David Price just pitched the play-in game so Matt Moore gets game 1.

Matt Moore, David Price, Alex Cobb, Chris Archer, Moore or Price in game 5

---vs---

Lester, Lackey, Buchholz, Peavy, Lester

Much like the Tigers/A's matchup, there are a lot more "names" on the Boston side. But the Rays have Delmon Young, Playoff Immortal. Both teams have good bullpens, Boston has the bench but I'm not sure Farrell will use it. I'm curious if Farrell will start Xander Boegarts over Stephen Drew in the playoffs, as he was sometimes doing in the regular season. With all the Rays' lefties it probably makes sense.

I just.... yeah, I really don't want either of these teams to win. Good job, Rays, seriously making me consider rooting for the Red Sox.

[Grinch]

I really think this will be the best of the four series. I think it will make it 5 games....with Price on the mound I'll go with Tampa.

[Don Quixote]

I'm neutral on the rooting side but voted Sox in 5. For all their SP excellence, I don't see quite enough firepower for Tampa Bay. Then again, I don't see enough firepower from the Dodgers, and look what they did last night. Perhaps Delmon will go all crazy train at the plate like he did for the Tigers (keeping him at DH improves the team right away).

[Moonlight J]

People will make hay out of Sox splits as they mash righties & "struggle" vs LH, but they're still a top 5 offense vs LH in baseball. Moore struggles with Papi but has done very well vs rest of the lineup. Price too has had a lot of success.

Pitching doesn't worry me as much as the offense that left 1,234,812 runners on base against Boston this season. The Rays hit .281 w/RISP against the rest of the league but just .171 against Boston.

[DJBeasties]

Happy to be up 2-0 right now and hoping the Sox close it out tonight. Buchholz/Cobb